Rock-a bye traders
by Secondhandmasters
Summary: A Bioshock AU in which Johnny Topside is a cop and has to find out what's happening to the Sinclair Solution company and who's killing all its employees. All he has to do is solve the case and try not to be charmed by the owner of the company, shouldn't be too hard right? (Johnny Topside/Sinclair)
1. Murder

Rock – a Bye Traders

Chapter 1: Murder

Johnny Topside was a tall, well muscled, blond man with scars over his cheek and forehead from previous missions. John worked as a cop, sharp blue eyes like the clear ocean. He was wearing a dark blue short sleeve shirt and jeans covering his figure. With him was his 18 year old adopted daughter Eleanor Lamb. Eleanor had short black hair and blue eyes that matched John's, the little girl was beautiful and too intelligent for her age. She had always been the best in school and John was proud of her.

"Father," She started before setting down a cup of tea for her dad, steam coming out of the cup. "My teacher asked for a report about markets of the country"

John took the cup and watched the steam coming out of it. "I'll get a report for you from the office" he replied before taking a sip of the tea, not bothered by how it stung his tongue with the heat.

Eleanor smiled at before she pushed her hair back and away from her eyes. "Thank you" she kissed his cheek. "I need it by next week if you're on a case right now"

The blond shook his head. "I'm free" Then there was a beeping sound from the fax machine. "Or so I thought…" He sighed. "Eleanor, could you please see what we got in the fax?" Eleanor nodded and smiled as she walked to the machine and started putting the papers neatly behind each other in the correct order and handed them to her father. John put down the cup of tea and scanned the words with his eyes. His brows arched and that was the sign Eleanor needed to know that her dad just got a bad case. "Sorry Eleanor, daddy has work, it's serious and-"

"It's alright father, I understand" She nodded, Eleanor wasn't bothered by her father leaving for his job, she had gotten use to it and she thought herself to be a lucky one, she gets to spend time with him and that's all she needed. "Can you drop me off at Amir's house on your way to the crime scene? We could finish our science project"

John nodded. "Sounds good, I'll call Juliet let her know I'm on my way there" he took the cup of tea and quickly drank what remained before taking his phone and went to change for work.

After the two got ready Johnny dropped his adopted daughter at her friend's house then drove to the crime scene. He reached a tall building with a sign that read "Sinclair Solutions" glowing in red and blue. Waiting for him in front of the company was a woman. She was extremely attractive as John had heard from many of her "Crushes" though John seemed to be the only one who wasn't trapped in her beauty spell. She had long curly brown hair tied back in a bun, her skin clear, and her eyes green like the grass fields; she wore a long grey trench coat with sunglasses covering her eyes.

"Juliet," John called. "You made it"

Juliet took off her sunglasses and placed it on top of her head. "There you are John; I hope traffic didn't keep you. Everyone is lined up to see what happened as if it was a circus. Police are working on keeping them out, well come on let's go"

The two went inside the large company only to be stopped by the guards who didn't let them pass until they showed their badges. One of the guards led them to the crime scene. The two looked down at the body before Juliet knelt beside it. "Any information about our victim?" John asked and before Juliet could answer the two heard the sound of shoes tapping on the floor. The two turned to see where the sound was coming from only to see a man heading their way, a hand in his pocket and a cigar in the other.

"Mr. Sinclair you shouldn't be down here, it's not safe" The guard said but Sinclair only smiled at him and gave him a light pat on the shoulder before shoving his hand back in his pocket.

"His name was Steven… poor man had a wife an' child. I remember him tellin' me before that he wanted a day or two off when his wife gave birth" The man said, the accent implying he was a southern man but.

"You know anyone who would have wanted to hurt Steven or his family Mr….?" John tried to remember the name the guard just said but he wasn't very focused.

"Sinclair, Augustus Sinclair chief. I own this company, an' about Steven…" He looked at the guard who nodded and left the man with the cops. "This ain't it, It's gonna get worse. There is a hurricane kid, an' it's comin' to wipe out this whole company."

"You know something we don't?" Juliet said while examining the body.

The company owner took his hand out of his pocket; he held an envelope and handed it to John. For a second the two men's eyes locked and John knew that look in Sinclair's eyes. Anger mixed with fear. He decided not to look for too long though and turned his attention to the envelope. Inside it was nothing but a small paper that read. "Ashes, Ashes, they all fall down"

"Say, what's your name son? I don't fancy workin' with people I don't know" Sinclair asked and John looked at him again. "Jus' seems rude" he continued.

"John Topside" The blond replied before looking back to the paper in his hand.

"A knight in armor," Sinclair pointed his cigar at John then chuckled. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He then looked at the girl waiting silently for her to introduce herself.

"Juliet Nivans"

Augustus nodded before looking down at the corpse. Steven had bruise marks around his wrists and neck, a trail of blood coming from under his eyes which were closed, his mouth hung open probably from surprise John and Juliet thought and his face pale and cold. "I believe this won't be the last murder. Won't stop till I got a bullet in my head…"

"You got something to do with this boss man? Debt? Stealing maybe? Or did you just anger someone? Any enemies maybe?"

Sinclair shook his head but then nodded. "Sort'a, when yer a businessman everyone will be on yer tail, companies battle it out to see who's best ya know? But none who would go far for murder. I was almost shot a couple'a times. Ain't sure if I'm the target or this whole company"

"We're going to need a list of people who work with you, associated companies as well"

"Easy, I'll give ya the list" Sinclair shrugged. "Anythin' else Johnny-boy?"

"It's John" John didn't like being called "Johnny" while he was at work, especially by strangers; he wasn't really one for nicknames anyway. "We need you to head back with us; being owner of this place I'm sure we can get a lot of information, maybe something that would lead us to our killer"

Sinclair nodded. John and Juliet both put on their white rubber gloves before they tried opening the victim's closed eyes to see where the blood trail had came from, to their surprise once the eyes were opened all they saw was a black gap where the eyes should have been.

"The eyes have been ripped out… ugh hope it was after the killer had killed the man, but not likely killers are never that nice, especially if they're a nut-job" John smirked. "The marks around his neck and wrists are likely to be from wires or ropes, bet if we checked we'll find a couple of broken bones, probably from struggling"

"We'll take the body back and see if we can find more about the cause of death" Juliet said before she stood up and took her cell phone, excusing herself as she walked away from the two men.

"Was anyone else here when Steven got attacked?" Johnny asked not even bothering to look at the businessman.

"Yes, I was at my office, the guards an' my assistant, some employees who were workin' late too"

John stood up and finally he looked at Sinclair. "I'm going to need the security tapes from your security cameras, if only your employees were here that means if the camera caught someone you don't recognize it has to be the killer"

Sinclair chuckled. "An' what if I told ya we ain't got security Cameras?"

"I'd say you're bullshitting me because you seem like the type of guy who takes good care of his business. If someone wants this company to fall that means you're a threat to them and if you're a threat then that means when it comes to business you play your cards right, a security camera is needed in every company so… you got to have one"

"I'm feel flattered chief, for that I'll get'cha the tapes" John's brow arched in a mocking matter, silently telling Augustus that he didn't have a choice anyway. "Ya ain't one for nicknames or jokes"

"You do realize your employee just died and someone is out there trying to put a bullet in your head don't you? Not really the best time for jokes"

The company owner shrugged. "Yer a cop ain't ya? Then it's yer job to protect a possible victim such as myself which gives me no reason to worry about bein' shot"

John rolled his eyes at that before he watched Juliet walk back to them. "They're coming to take the body, we need to visit the family, maybe they know something useful"

"Feel free to come back here if ya need anythin' else, I'll be more than happy to help"

The two cops nodded and exited the large company as the ambulance car came to take the body, placing it inside a black bag and loading it into the car.

This wasn't a normal case, John could feel it. Maybe Sinclair is right, maybe there is a hurricane coming and they best be prepared for it.

END OF CHAP. 1


	2. The Tears Of The Sky

Rock- A bye traders  
Chapter 2: The Tears of the sky

John and Juliet had informed Steven's family of his death and they promised to bring whoever did this to justice, after all John had never failed in a case before. They settled for asking the wife a couple of questions, if she noticed anything suspicious and how was Steven at work, even his relationship to Augustus. Nothing was out of the ordinary though, Steve seemed to be a fine worker, no grudge against his boss, he wasn't poor or rich he was just fairly in the middle, he provided his child and wife a good enough life. No known enemies or anyone who would go far to ripping the poor man's eyes out. Then they left the wife to her grief though they had attended the funeral after feeling sorry for the widow and her young son.

John lifted his head to look at the sky, he always thought it was weird that whenever he attends a funeral the sky somehow turns gray and the atmosphere around them shocks them with nothing but the heavy sorrow, it was quiet all around, nothing but the sounds of women weeping as some others leave flowers on the grave of the murder victim. The men were silent just staring blankly into the gravestone while holding their children close. John could see Sinclair in the opposite side, his eyes hidden under a black hat with his head lowered. The cop then looked at his partner who caught his glance and gave him a pat on the back. Then the people seemed to disappear from all around them as it started to rain and everyone searched for shelter in their cars while they drove back to their homes. Everyone left except the company owner who was still staring down at the grave. Topside joined by his side. "He was one o' the best workers I ever had. Comes to work with a smile everyday an' he comes into my office like a student would with his principal, asks me "What's on the list today boss?" like workin' here is better than a vacation on Hawaii," Sinclair tipped his hat before sighing. "An' the way he was jus' killed… I sure hope he didn't suffer; he's with the lord now. I jus' hope his wife handles it well…"

John stood silently; he didn't know how to reply to the other male. But he didn't have to because Sinclair went on. "Do ya have a wife an' child Mr. Topside?"

"No, no wife, though I do have a daughter." He replied and Sinclair nodded before looking up at the sky.

"When my ol' man died it rained too… my mama told me "The sky cries everytime a good person dies" Then I remembered that same line when she passed away, strangely it rained as well, I had to live with my granddaddy then, he made me the man I am today an' so on… an' today the sky cries again over the loss o' another good man. Ya better find whoever's behind this"

"I will" Sinclair nodded again before he gave John a faint smile and walked away past Juliet to his car, the driver standing and waiting to open the door of the car to the businessman, but just as the door opened the car exploded sending Augustus flying back as the flames surrounded the car. John and Juliet quickly hurried to the scene pulling Sinclair away from the flaming car, the man's eyes now wide with both surprise and fear, his hands trembling. It could have been him and his driver who died in that explosion, he wouldn't exactly say that he was happy he survived but thankful that he was lucky enough to get away.

"What happened?" Juliet asked but Sinclair didn't reply he was still in a shocked state.

"Hey, Hey Sinclair. What the hell happened?" John asked again and Sinclair turned to look at him.

"I…I don't know, I was goin' to the car an'… the door jus' opened…"

"Someone must have bombed the car, Juliet call an ambulance and the fire department, tell them we got another body. I'll drive you home Sinclair." Juliet nodded and took her phone to do as John had told her while the two men walked to John's car. "Meet me back at the office" John told Juliet and she gave him a thumbs up.

The two men sat silently in the car, Sinclair looking out the window with his hand on his cheek like he was deep in thought, John of course didn't want to ruin the businessman's train of thoughts but he was just going to die so he thought he should try reassuring him that he was safe or something. "You're going to be okay, we'll get the police to give you some security"

"Jus'… drive back to my company… I have to pick up some things from there first before I head on home"

John sighed. "As you wish"

The Company lights were still glowing by the time the two arrived. Sinclair opened the door and made his way up to his office, the place was empty, no employees at sight, it was quiet no sounds were heard except the rain on the roofs of the company and their shoes as they walked. Sinclair entered his office while John waited for the southern man outside. But it didn't take long for John to hear a loud thud sound followed by a shout. The cop kicked the doors open and saw Sinclair on the floor staring up at a hanged body over his desk, as the first victim there were no eyes just two black holes, blood dripping down the body and on to his desk, on the walls there were words written with blood that read. "ONE BY ONE THEY ALL FALL DOWN"

"Holy shit! How fast is this guy? Two bodies in less than 3 hours" John pulled Sinclair away from the body and took him outside his office. "Looks like this is going to be a busy night for us… I'll still drive you home if you want"

Sinclair shook his head and John understood the situation Sinclair was in right now, being alone would make him more vulnerable to the killer. Any man with the right mind would be scared shitless right now but somehow Sinclair still kept it together a serious expression finally showing on his face. "I told ya, there is a hurricane comin' an' we outta be prepared. I ain't lettin' whoever is doin' this bring my company down. You'll learn things like these are jus' a bump on the road, no more no less. An' I trust ya know how to do yer job Johnny-boy"

"It's John" The blond corrected though Sinclair decided to ignore it and went on.

"Givin' up now means those people died for nothin'! An' I won't have that"

John nodded. "Alright then, now it's getting late and your place isn't the safest place to be so… you can just stay here till we finish our work then Juliet and I will find you a place to stay for the night"

"What about yer place? I sure don't wanna be a burden but maybe jus' for tonight?"

"Not sure if you were paying attention earlier or not, but I have a daughter to take care of and I'm not willing to put her in harm's way"

Sinclair smiled nodding his head then silence overcame the two leaving John to regret his words. Sinclair probably had a lot of places to go but he picked to stay with John probably for safety reasons. He sighed and shook his head. "Stay here, if anything happens I'll be in your office unhanging the body" and without waiting for a reply John went back inside the office.

A while later the sound of police cars could be heard outside and surrounding the building, an Ambulance car as well to take the body. "I think you have to stop work for a couple of days Mr. Sinclair" Juliet said. "Give everyone a vacation, wouldn't that be better than getting them killed?"

As much as Sinclair hated the idea he agreed to it, he wasn't sure if he could live with knowing people could die just because they work for him. "You got a place to stay? Your home is not an option I see"

Augustus shrugged. "I'll find somethin' "

John kicked himself mentally for holding back his words, but Eleanor had to come first, he wanted her to be away from danger. He was stuck between making a choice for his only family or work…. But this was death, and once something is dead it can never come back to life. "I changed my mind, you can stay with me for the night" he mumbled. Sinclair's face lit up like a Christmas light, a grin on his face as if he was expecting John to change his mind.

The drive home was quiet, no talk was exchanged between the two but none seemed to mind that, they didn't feel uneasy. Maybe the two preferred silence. Or maybe they liked the sound of the rain dancing on the windshields of the car… The sky never stopped crying.

Eleanor greeted her father once she heard his car and she looked at the stranger coming into her house for the first time. "Hello…" She looked at Sinclair then at her father.

"Eleanor this is Augusts Sinclair, he'll be staying with us for the night"

"I know who he is," She smiled. "Do you want dinner? Or maybe a cup of coffee father?" John shook his head; he'd seen enough blood to make him lose his appetite. "What about you Mr. Sinclair?"

"I'm fine kid, thank you" Eleanor excused herself and went back to the table she was sitting on with a pile of papers in front of her. "What'cha got there?" The businessman asked.

"Um… Just something for school, a report I'm doing for my economy teacher"

Sinclair chuckled and pulled a chair to sit next to Eleanor. "Well yer in luck. Economy happens to be my favorite subject. Here let me help ya"

John looked at the two from afar, for some reason the sight brought a smile to his face though his lips quickly changed back to their usual straight line and he left the two to their work, quietly shutting the door to his room.

END 2


End file.
